2002 Oldsmobile Alero GL review from North America
"Owning an Alero GL will make you smile most days"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Problems encountered since new:
Coolant gauge stuck at overheated mark - dealer fixed before purchase.
CD Player had to be replaced after previous song button failed in first month.
Low Tire Pressure Light comes on when varied road conditions and flat tires are encountered and takes owners manual and a few minutes to properly reset each time through fuse panel.
Low profile tires are toast when driven flat for 30m at very very low speed. Might as well fill them now with the tire sealant ahead of time since they will be ruined so quickly when they fail.
Control buttons on stereo and steering wheel are losing their finish.
Starts like an old car (engine rolls over, but is slow to fire) Dealer unable to fix. Discovered through a Grand Am owner that a computer starts the car and key should be flicked quickly and allowed to spring back to let the computer take over firing the engine for you. This has helped, but not completely solved problem.
Rotors have needed turning once since purchase and new pads installed (at around 40,000km) I'm lucky here!
Service Engine Soon light comes on on a more regular basis now with Trac Off light lit too. Dealer has found service bulletins that say transmission ground wire may be the problem and fixed it. It has quickly reoccurred.
Plastic moulding around win-shield started falling out around 55,000km.
Turn Signals now not always functioning (have found related '99-'01 recall info stating hazard switch is the problem)
Plastic button on seat belt to stop it from retracting completely partially broke off and sharp spikes tore hole in door panel as belt was put on.
General comments?
At 3 years old and 64,000km the 4 door V6 Alero looks awesome, drives and handles well with the sport suspension and traction control. It has lots of room and neat features.
While so far to date it has cost around $100 CAN a month to maintain I still love driving it and SO FAR it has never let me down completely. The electrical gremlin hiding in the dash is tormenting me some days though.
Recommended reviews
| This car is seriously a piece of crap! |
|
| Solid performer, little quirks (keeps things interesting) |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Model year | 2002 |
| Year of manufacture | 2002 |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.4L V6 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 6 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 6 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 240 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 64000 kilometres |
| Previous car | GMC S-15 |
| Date of Entry | 8th October, 2005 |